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Drills…Drills…Drills…

HOUSTON (AP) — Dozens of federal, state and local security agencies will join industry and educational resources in testing security at the Port of Houston.

The SECUREX 2013 exercise is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon under the command of the Coast Guard and Port of Houston Authority. Crews will respond to a simulated “dirty bomb” and test various incident command system functions.

The exercise at the Barbour’s Cut Cruise Terminal at Morgan’s Point, near La Porte, is part of an Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program, or AMSTEP.

On Oct. 17 at 10:17 a.m., drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy desk or table and then hold on for at least 60 seconds.
That’s what Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region X and Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington State officials are asking people to do as part of the 2013 Great ShakeOut — an international drill meant to help people prepare for a major earthquake.

More than 1,000 banks will test their incident response strategies by participating in a simulated cyber-attack exercise. SWACHA’s Dennis Simmons says the drill, which is open to more participants, will help bolster defenses.

Banks are interested in testing their defenses in the wake of recent cyber-attacks, says Simmons, president and CEO of SWACHA, a regional payments association. Those attacks include account-takeover attempts linked to phishing and ACH and wire fraud, as well as distributed-denial-of-service attacks that are sometimes waged as modes of distraction to veil fraud.

This drill is scheduled to begin November 13, 2013. What is not being discussed is how much of the nation will lose power or, since it is a three-nation drill (United States and parts of Canada and Mexico), the entire U.S. will go “offline” so to speak. What we are told is that all food and water transport will stop, business and banking will stop, transportation and shopping will stop, communications will stop, and there will be no heat in homes, schools or places of business. We are also told this will only be a “simulation”. As such, it is best to be prepared one way or another, just in case.